When it comes to giving your room a refreshing look, you can't go wrong with a couple of houseplants. The lush foliage adds some color to the space and depending on your plant of choice, it's an easy way to infuse a bleak space with a touch of personality.
If you're looking to introduce some indoor gardening ideas to your space, one of the key factors to consider when choosing plants is to make sure they thrive in an interior setting. And while most houseplants don't need as much sun as garden plants, they still require their fair share of light. In fact, a lack of light could be the one thing that's keeping your plants from staying alive. And having a small home or a general lack of large windows shouldn't hold you back from being a plant parent.
Luckily, we came across these minimalist indoor growing lights that are made to care for your indoor plants. And besides being expert-approved, they're quite the chic buy. We have a feeling that this is just what you need to take your indoor jungle to the next level.
Hang Grow Lights to Elevate your Indoor Plant Game
(Image credit: Chase Daniel)
If you think about all the things you need for indoor plant growing systems, light is likely one of the more important things topping the list. And unfortunately, not all homes come equipped with the space for large windows. In such cases, it can seem almost impossible to nurture houseplants.
However, innovation has favored the green-thumbed community. And regardless of the number of windows your home may have or how much sunlight your space is usually flooded with, these indoor grow lights are a treat for any light-loving plant.
Sturdy and cylindrical in form, crafted to hang daintily as a pendant light over growing houseplants, SolTech's Aspect grow lights are a total game-changer. The sleek design is a welcome take on the trend and offers a brilliant solution to minimalist living rooms dotted with houseplants.
Indoor Growing Lights
Price: $200
Size: Large
This sleek grow light comes in different sizes and colors so you can keep your plants happy and also pick a color that matches your home's overarching colorway.
Tony O'Neill, founder of Simplify Gardening, tells us that indoor growing lights simulate natural sunlight, providing the necessary light spectrum for photosynthesis. "These lights are designed to emit specific wavelengths that plants need for growth," he says. "Typically in the blue and red spectrum, which are crucial for vegetative growth and flowering, respectively."
In his personal indoor grow room, Tony has used LED grow lights to successfully cultivate a variety of beautiful houseplants, including philodendrons, anthuriums, monstera, and herbs, even in the darker months. 'The ability to control the light intensity and duration has allowed my plants to thrive year-round, providing a lush and vibrant indoor space,' he says.
Anastasia Borisevich, plant expert at Plantum, also finds these grow lights to be a brilliant solution for gardeners who live in cloudy and stormy areas with shorter-than-average light days. "Becoming more popular each day, grow lights are used nowadays not only to supplement insufficient natural lighting but also to replace it," she says. "This tool can change your life and keep your plants happy by giving them enough energy for growth and flowering."
Hanging Grow Light
Price: $100
Color: Black
This hanging grow light from Amazon comes with everything you need, including a 24-hour cycle outlet timer, a 15ft long fine quality fabric cord, a hook for hanging the light, and two fairleads for better cord management.
Halo Grow Lights
Price: $17
Quantity: Pack of 2
If you're a collector of small indoor plants that don't necessarily need large overhanging pendant lights for support, then these portable light stands will be perfectly suited to your green needs.
GrowLED Herb Light
Price: $51
Dimensions: 18.7'' H X 18.3'' L X 7.6'' D
Why not great your very own herb garden in your home with this stylish GrowLED Herb Light from Wayfair. It's sure to bring out color and an aroma of freshness into your space!
Decorating with plants doesn't make as much of an impact when your plants look all sad and droopy. And if it's light that they need then these grow lights will do just the trick.
Anastasia tells us that these growing lights are perfect for seedlings and are also highly suitable for photosynthesis. However, despite the fact that these lights make it easy to control your plants' light intake, Anastasia points out that they usually only provide a limited spectrum. She also warns against leaving them on for extended periods of time and letting them overheat - like any ordinary light.
"In general, you need 13 hours of artificial lighting to substitute for 6 hours of natural lighting," she says. But all in all, despite not being as efficient as natural sun, these grow lights have proven to be very helpful for indoor plant growth.
So if your indoor space receives enough sunlight or if you're blessed with a home that has plenty of windows, then this may not be a must-have for you. But if you do have a smaller space and not as much natural light, then these indoor growing lights will be a boon to your budding houseplants.
FAQs
What houseplants are compatible with indoor grow lights?
(Image credit: Flower Council of Holland)
According to Tony, many houseplants can benefit from the use of indoor growing lights, especially those that require high light levels but may not receive adequate natural light indoors.
"Fiddle leaf fig (ficus lyrata), peace lily (spathiphyllum), orchids, succulents, and cacti thrive with indoor grow lights," says Tony. "And so do kitchen plants like herbs such as basil, mint, and parsley."
How should grow lights be positioned?
When adding indoor growing lights, Tony recommends positioning the lights about 6-12 inches above the plants to ensure they receive adequate light without burning the leaves. And as the plants grow, you can adjust the height of the light to ensure their wellbeing.
He also encourages indoor gardeners to only place the lights in areas where natural light is insufficient, such as dark corners or rooms without windows.
Should you leave a grow light on 24/7?
Tony tells us that most houseplants only need about 12-16 hours of light per day. So to avoid over-lighting your plants, he recommends using a timer to help maintain a consistent light schedule.
Keeping your grow light on for too long can hurt your plants and also cause the light to overheat. So it's best to only use it according to your houseplant's specific light requirements.
